And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. Deuteronomy 6:5

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1 Title: Perilous Times Text: 2 Timothy 3:1-5 Announcements: Opening: It seems as though it is becoming commonplace to hear the words, The video you are about to see contains disturbing images. Viewer discretion is advised, while watching the nightly news! Murder and mayhem once again has hit close to home here in the United States. A wicked man, carrying out a wicked plan of hate, murdered 5 Dallas police officers and wounded a number of others this past Thursday night. We are living in dangerous days. 1. This know also, that in the last days perilous times will come. a. That word, perilous, means, violent, dangerous or hard. b. Even though Paul was facing a very violent and dangerous man, the Roman emperor, Nero, Paul warned Timothy that even more dangerous times were coming. c. As if things were not already bad enough, society as a whole was going to get worse. d. And, we are beginning to see these very dangerous days taking shape around us. 2. For men a. shall be lovers of their own selves i. A narcissist is a person characterized by excessive self-love. ii. However, one psychologist wrote an article entitled, Narcissists Need to Love Themselves More, Not Less. iii. Yet, we have never been commanded to love ourselves. iv. Instead, we have been commanded And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. Deuteronomy 6:5 v. As Christians, we need to be challenged to love God more! For, the more we love God, the more we are going to desire to continue in the truth and stay away from error!

2 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. John 14:23 b. Covetous lovers of money For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 1 Timothy 6:9 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 1 John 2:15 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Matthew 6:24 i. What you love is what you will serve. What you serve is what you love. ii. Love for the things of this world will cause you to turn from the truth. iii. Christian, make a choice. You will either love the things of this world and hate the Lord or you will love the Lord and hate the things of this world. c. Boasters For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. Galatians 6:3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that thou visitest him? Psalm 8:3-4 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. John 15:5

3 He must increase, but I must decrease. John 3:30 d. Proud Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. Proverbs 16:18 i. In 1 Samuel 15, King Saul was given one task - to utterly destroy the Amalekites. ii. Yet, Saul disobeyed. Notice what the Lord said It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night. 1 Samuel 15:11 iii. What caused Saul to turn from following the Lord? Samuel hints at And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel? 1 Samuel 15:17 iv. What will cause you to turn your back on God? What will cause you to turn from truth to error? Pride! Instead, humble yourself! Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 1 Peter 5:6 e. Blasphemers Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. Exodus 20:7 i. I want to stop here just for a moment. Our society thinks nothing of taking the Lord s name in vain.

4 ii. In fact, many Christians think nothing of taking the Lord s name in vain! It s amazing to me the number of Christians that think nothing of using the three little letters, OMG. As one 15-year-old explained it, "I think originally the term 'Oh, my God' was probably a really heavy term. To say that carried a lot of weight, but I think that over time if you say a word enough times it'll lose its meaning. If you say your name enough times, then it will start sounding weird. And I think that kind of happened with the phrase 'Oh, my God.' I think that people started using it so much that it no longer carries any weight and it doesn't mean what it used to." iii. To the world, the name of God and the name of Jesus Christ have lost their meaning. The world does not believe in God. The world does not believe in Jesus Christ. Therefore, the name of God has no meaning to the world; the name of Jesus Christ has not meaning to the world other than as a swear word! iv. Christian, has the name of God lost its meaning to you? We had best be careful how we use the name of God! Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. Acts 3:6 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Acts 4:12 There is a name I love to hear; I love to sing its worth; It sounds like music in mine ear, the sweetest name on earth. Oh, how I love Jesus, Oh, how I love Jesus, Oh, how I love Jesus, Because He first loved me! Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of etchings in heaven, and etchings in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11

5 Closing: In response to the fatal shooting of five cops in Dallas and in recognition of the danger that is out there - police departments across the country have begun to require their officers to go on their patrols in teams of two officers. However, Washington, D.C. police chief, Cathy Lanier said, Looking at the type of attack that happened in Dallas, a two-man car, a four-man car, a 10-man car, isn t going to make much of a difference. But it makes the officers feel much safer. In the spiritually dangerous world in which we live, what will make a difference? Well, while we don t have the time to look at the rest of the list this morning, notice Paul s admonition in vs. 5, from such turn away. Instead, turn to God!